Gen Z on 'Fuck You-ness', 'Productive Rudeness', Learning Swagger (and More)
Graduating straight into Covid WFH, 20 agents, publicists, writers and (alas) a barista share four hard truths about making Hollywood careers work
Elaine Low reports on the TV business from L.A. She recently offered up a Gen Z exec’s salary confession and stark warning for Gen X bosses, wrote about the new art of the virtual pitch and reported on industry workers who’ve decided to leave L.A. after the wildfires.
Every generation has its own early-career professional trauma. For my cohort of older millennials, who graduated from college in 2007 or 2008, the Great Recession felt like a death knell for our 20-something ambitions. In the absence of a robust job market, we knitted together freelance gigs, hid out in grad school, and lived at home with our parents for far longer than any of us meant to.
But today’s Hollywood youth white-knuckled their way through a series of obstacles way more unprecedented: A plague. A Peak TV boom and bust. Concurrent writers’ and actors’ strikes. Now, with the strikes and the worst ravages of the pandemic behind us, but amid a contracting and continually disrupted industry, the oldest Gen Zs and youngest millennials (aka, the future of the industry) are trying to find their place in the entertainment industry workforce. It feels like a good time to ask: Is the next gen okay?
Seventeen people responded in depth to last week’s call to tell me how they were feeling about their career trajectories, and I followed up with several of them, in addition to a couple of other 20-somethings referred by Series Business readers. They agreed to speak anonymously, so I’ve given them pseudonyms here. We talked about what’s happening (and not) for them in the workplace now, how they see the future of their careers, what it means for their bosses and companies, and the intangible secret sauce they missed from not getting in-person training. Particularly at the agencies, that means how to be a Hollywood a-hole (but in a good way!) to get what you (or your client) need. Says one agent of their generation: “There’s a noticeable lack of aggression.”
In today’s Series Business, coming to you on a Tuesday after yesterday’s post-Oscarpalooza, I’ll tell you:
Why “productive rudeness” is an essential Hollywood skill, and how workers who’ve had less time in the office can learn it
How bosses want to connect with Gen Z audiences — but don’t listen to Gen Z in the office
Relationships this generation missed during the work-from-home years, and how they’re filling in the gaps
What they’re doing to make themselves promotable and indispensable: hustling, networking, soliciting feedback
Why they aren’t giving up on Hollywood
What they believe is “irreplaceable” about their work
What they’ll do differently when they’re in charge